By  BRIAN KIMANIÂ
According to a recently published report, Kenya has been ranked among the countries whose citizens are less stressed in Africa.
The 4th Annual Mental State of the World Report released in March 2024 showed that Kenya was ranked fourth with its citizens who are either distressed or struggling ranging an average of 23 per cent.
In contrast, first-world countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom performed poorly, with their citizens scoring 25 per cent and 35 per cent respectively.
President William Ruto greets Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali on February 27, 2024.
PCS
Tallied out of 100 per cent, the ranking was based on countries showing the highest percentages of citizens who are distressed or struggling.
The pattern is also similar to the average of Mental Health Quotient (MHQ) scores whereby Kenya was ranked 28th globally and fourth in Africa, scoring 72.
Tanzania was ranked the third less-stressed country internationally with a score of 88. On the other hand, the Dominican Republic topped the rankings with an MHQ of 91, followed by Sri Lanka with 89.
In Africa, Tanzania topped, followed by Nigeria with an average MHQ of 83, Zimbabwe (74), Kenya (72) and the Democratic Republic of Congo (71).
While conducting the survey, the report focused on six issues; mood and outlook, social self, drive and motivation, and mind and body connection.
Others include cognition, adaptability and resilience.
The factors that lowered the rankings of the United States and the UK included drive and motivation scores as well as adaptability and resilience.
“Across all dimensions, Adaptability & Resilience and Drive & Motivation scored highest across most countries while Mood & Outlook and Social Self scored lowest,” the report read in part.
“In 2023, data from the Global Mind Project identified key factors that explain these patterns, such as getting a smartphone at a young age, frequently eating ultra-processed food and a fraying of friendships and family relationships, that are typically more prevalent in Internet-enabled populations of wealthier countries.”
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